Orson Welles’ Oscar for Best Screenplay for “Citizen Kane” was auctioned off for almost $900,000.

Orson Welles Oscar for Best Screenplay for Citizen Kane Sells for almost $900,000 in Auction

The buyer was undisclosed.

Here’s the snippet from the article further explaining the auction:

“The Oscar statuette given to Orson Welles 70 years ago for his critically acclaimed movie “Citizen Kane” has sold at auction for nearly $900,000, organizers said.

“Welles received this award for best original screenplay, which was, incredibly, the only Oscar that either ‘Citizen Kane’ or Orson Welles received,” said auctioneer Nate Sanders.

Magician (or “illusionist,” whichever you prefer) David Copperfield was among those clamoring for the golden trophy, but he was the runner-up bidder for the Oscar, which sold to an undisclosed buyer for $861,542, Los Angeles auctioneer Nate Sanders said.

This is the second time the Oscar has been put up for auction. When the “Kane” statuette was put up for auction in New York back in 2007, it failed to find a buyer (amazingly enough). At that time, it was expected to sell for around $1 million.

“This is a testament to the popularity of Orson Welles and his magnum opus ‘Citizen Kane.‘ I’m proud to have represented this fantastic award to the cinema collecting community,” Sanders said in a statement late Tuesday.”